KALAMAZOO, MI -- Violent crime in the Kalamazoo area is on the decline in recent years and law enforcement agencies are crediting, in part, cooperation among police agencies.

Officers from the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety, Kalamazoo Township Police Department, Michigan State Police, Battle Creek Police Department and the Kalamazoo County Sheriff's Office were on hand Wednesday at a news conference led by U.S. Attorney Pat Miles.

"Most crimes we deal with seem to cross jurisdictional lines," said Detective First Lt. Chuck Christensen with Michigan State Police Fifth District Headquarters in Paw Paw. "We are well-equipped to handle that."

Christensen cited the recent case of a woman who was beaten, raped and kidnapped from her Kalamazoo Township apartment that required officers from three agencies to work together.Three men have been arrested, the most recent on Monday.

On Jan. 22 the suspects, armed with a shotgun, broke into
the woman's home at Big Bend Apartments, beating, raping and kidnapping her, police allege. The victim was dropped off at a hospital in Watervliet.

"You had the victim located in Berrien County, the crime taking place in Kalamazoo County and the suspects crossing jurisdictions," Christensen said.

In fugitive hunts like this one, a bulletin is sent out to agencies across the area and nearby states. Of the three suspects, one was arrested in Benton Harbor and another in Grand Rapids.

Miles, who works out of Grand Rapids and is responsible for the Western District of Michigan, said law enforcement agencies in the region have a "tradition of valuing cooperation."

"There are no turf battles here. We don't care about who gets the credit," he said.

Police cooperation has played a factor in the decline in violent crimes across the city of Kalamazoo, according to Brian Uridge, assistant chief of the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety.

"Crime is down in the city. Over the past six to seven years, Part 1 crimes are down 28 percent," he said. Part 1 crimes include homicide, rape, arson and aggravated assault.

Uridge said a new violence reduction initiative called Operation Ceasefire, along with community partnerships and "trust building" with residents, have also led to the decline in violent crime.

Miles said relationships that police can create with the public will help further reduce violent crime.

"We urge residents to reach out and trust law enforcement, to help pick out the bad apples," Miles said. "We also encourage employers to hire ex-offenders. Within two years, two-thirds of ex-felons are back in prison."